When you aren’t getting enough sleep, everything becomes a challenge. Tasks that would normally be easy suddenly seem impossible. You’re bumping into doors and tripping over your feet. And you can’t seem to remember the important things you have to do.
Sleep is vital for every bodily function, and it’s especially crucial for your mental health. When you aren’t getting enough sleep, you simply aren’t going to function at your best.
But in this post, we’re going to explore what happens with your mental health when you don’t get enough sleep.
Depression
Insomnia is closely related to depression, and its relation is so close that it’s sometimes difficult to determine which came first. But there’s a growing body of research that shows that depression may often be caused by insomnia. Researchers at the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom found that lack of sleep can lead to paranoia, hallucinatory experiences, and other mental health problems in young adults.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety and depression go hand-in-hand — and so it only makes sense that sleep would follow closely behind. Anxiety and sleep are connected much in the same way. Anxiety can lead to sleeplessness and sleeplessness can lead to anxiety. In some cases, you may not know which problem causes the other.
Lack of sleep has an impact on your brain’s ability to process emotions, which can make stress more difficult to handle. And when you combine sluggishness and cognitive decline with things like deadlines, money troubles, and relationship issues, the anxiety is only likely to get worse.
How to Sleep Better
If you’re currently not sleeping well, you may already be dealing with mental health issues like depression and anxiety. And if not yet, you definitely want to get a handle on things before they escalate.
So, here are a few tips for getting a better night’s rest.
- Meditate — Try morning meditations to help you handle any anxiety you may have and calm your mind for the day. If you have anxiety under control, you’ll be more likely to get better rest.
- Exercise — Not only can regular exercise mitigate the effects of stress on your body and mind, but it can tire you out during the day, so you’ll find it easier to go to sleep.
- Limit alcohol before bed — When you have a nightcap before bed, you may be messing with your body’s ability to get REM sleep, and this is the deep restorative sleep the body needs to repair and rejuvenate for the next day.
If you’re currently struggling to get a good night’s rest, know that there are simple things you can do to improve your chances of sleeping through the night. But if you’ve tried everything on this list and still suffer from insomnia, talk to your doctor about the issue. There may be an underlying health issue that must be addressed in order to fix the issue of insomnia.
Sleep is an important part of good health, and it’s especially crucial to your mental health, so be sure to take it seriously.
Mandy X
Your free guide on better sleep: “Red Light Therapy for Sleep: The Safe and Natural Way to Better Rest” at https://rougecare.ca/blogs/rouge-red-light-therapy-blog/red-light-therapy-for-sleep-the-safe-and-natural-way-to-better-rest
Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
